John August

Transcribed

How Would This Be a Biopic?

Episode - 621

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HWTBAM, Scriptnotes, Transcribed

John and Craig look at several notable figures in the news and ask, How Would This Be a Biopic? They examine the lives of Henry Kissinger, Sandra Day O’Connor, George Santos, Rosalynn Carter, and Sam Altman to see which are best suited for the big screen, and declare once-and-for-all the proper way to pronounce “biopic.”

We also follow up on VFX and AI, the two-column format, inner monologues, and Melissa Mazin sets the record straight on her role at Thanksgiving.

In our bonus segment for premium members, John and Craig speculate about which event in history had the biggest negative impact on human civilization.

Links:

Email us at ask@johnaugust.com

You can download the episode here.

UPDATE 12-18-23: The transcript for this episode can be found here.

This Uncertain Age

Scriptnotes, Transcribed

John and Craig investigate their anxiety and ask, why is the future so hard to predict right now? They discuss everything from what’s going at OpenAi, the upcoming elections, a new service that uses AI to generate script coverage, and muse about how to move forward in a time of unprecedented uncertainty.

We also follow up with two listeners who wrote in for advice, and answer new questions on composite characters, being inspired by reddit, and how to maintain a long running D&D group.

In our bonus segment for premium members, John and Craig freestyle the introduction to the upcoming Scriptnotes Book.

Links:

Email us at ask@johnaugust.com

You can download the episode here.

UPDATE 12-11-23: The transcript for this episode can be found here.

Comedy Episode

Scriptnotes, Transcribed

John welcomes Jesse David Fox (Comedy Book, Good One) and Greg Iwinski (Last Week Tonight, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert) to “explain the joke” and discuss how comedy works.

They explore everything from harnessing your comedic voice, building a career in comedy, the importance of diversity in late night, to fundamental questions about the art form: How do jokes work? Is laughter always the primary goal of a comedy? Do you need to put your work online? How has the algorithm changed our consumption of comedy? And where does comedy go from here?

In our bonus segment for premium members, Greg, Jesse and John talk about their shared love for The Simpsons. What makes it so funny, and how has it shaped a generation of comedy nerds?

Links:

Email us at ask@johnaugust.com

You can download the episode here.

UPDATE 11-30-23: The transcript for this episode can be found here.

Monsters and You

Scriptnotes, Transcribed

Mad scientists John and Craig dissect monsters and how they function in the stories we tell. How do monsters differ from the average villain? What makes them tick? And how do you make them fascinating?

We also discuss how narratives are applied to real-life news, follow up on aphantasia and diabetes, and answer a listener question on characters in cosplay.

In our bonus segment for premium members, John and Craig fire up their dial-up modems to reminisce about the old internet.

Links:

Email us at ask@johnaugust.com

You can download the episode here.

UPDATE 11-30-23: The transcript for this episode can be found here.